


Tale of Courtship

by SimpleSoul_Shipper



Series: Blue Exorcist: A fairy tale [2]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Affection, Courting Rituals, Dancing and Singing, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Dating, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Forbidden Love, Light Angst, M/M, Manipulation, Meet the Family, Mythical Beings & Creatures, POV Alternating, Protective Siblings, Smart Okumura Rin, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23751754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimpleSoul_Shipper/pseuds/SimpleSoul_Shipper
Summary: This is a sequel to my previous work "A Fairy tale"Rin and Bon are now dating/courting, but that doesn't mean that everything is smooth sailing, from meeting the parents to an attempted rival (meaning they think they're a rival but they're just pathetic).As well as another couple developing their own courtship.Blue Exorcist set in a 'dark' fairy tale universe, that manipulation tag isn't for nothing, it's just subtle.
Relationships: Okumura Rin & Okumura Yukio, Okumura Rin & Satan, Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Okumura Yukio & Satan, Okumura Yukio/Shima Renzou, Yuri Egin/Satan
Series: Blue Exorcist: A fairy tale [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697260
Comments: 16
Kudos: 73





	1. A typical day after

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who read my previous story and is willing to continue on with this one.  
> My writing isn't the greatest, but the plot is apparently enough to make you still read it.

Bon woke up with the sun shining right into his eyes, even with the glare though he couldn’t help but smile, everything was fine between him and Rin.

Bon took a moment to get dressed before heading down to breakfast, on his way he saw Yukio, he gave him a smile as he remembered last night.

~flashback to last night~

_Bon and Rin had stayed frozen in their position for over an hour, Rin was savouring the feeling of having his human in his arms after accepting his feelings; while Bon was still recovering from the shock of being attacked as well as the realisation that he was now dating Rin._

_It wasn’t so much the boy part or the spirit part that made him baffled, more of the fact that he hadn’t noticed Rin’s feelings at all, and maybe he was feeling pleased that Rin wanted him above other people._

_After an hour of this Rin knew that he had to get Bon home in case anyone panicked and figured out what happened, so reluctantly he escorted Bon home, he wasn’t about to leave him until Bon was safely on his grounds and away from possible dangers._

_When they reached the grounds, Bon was surprised to find Yukio waiting for them, he looked a bit disgruntled. Rin and Yukio gave each other a hug before Rin handed him over to his brother, Yukio told them that he and Shima covered his alibi for the evening, so officially they were discussing weapons and techniques, unofficially he and Shima spent the day together to cover Bon going out on a date._

_Before saying goodnight to Rin Yukio gave them both his congratulations and passed on cheers from Fujimoto and Mephisto as well, he told Rin that their mother and father were waiting to hear the story from him. Rin left with a kiss from Bon and a very happy spring in his step, or rather his flight._

~end flashback~

Bon and Yukio were tasked that day to catalogue the new weapons that the family had received from a neighbouring family, once they were alone Yukio turned to Bon with a calculating look on his face.

“Listen Ryuji, I have known you for a long time because of my brothers, I know you aren’t a playboy and you aren’t a weakling. But I want to make sure that you understand the position you’re in”.

Bon gulped but stayed silent as he listened, Yukio was scary on a regular day, but if this was the talk he was thinking of, then that just increased his fear and respect of the other man.

“You have accepting my brother’s affections, and regardless of your ignorance of the courting, by accepting his courting in human customs you have labelled yourself as his future mate, no questions nor changes, you are now bound to my brother. But my brother is also bound to you, he has no ability to take another mate nor court anyone else, you are the sole object of his affections and I want you to understand that this means that any harm you do to my brother will not be met lightly”.

Yukio was pleased when Bon answered that yes he did understand his position, he didn’t realise that Rin would only be able to be with him, but he was not opposed to being his mate, he wanted to date the human way as well so that maybe Rin could meet his other friends and family too, his family didn’t have a problem with who he ended up with, as long as he was happy.

This please Yukio because he didn’t want Bon to back out of his courtship with Rin due to fear or lack of information, he knew that Rin would tell Bon everything soon, but he wanted to make sure that Bon wasn’t going anywhere.

Yukio gave Bon some reassurance, “Ryuji, two of the most important things to remember when you’re with my brother, spirits and creatures alike can not lie to their mates, that includes future ones. Our father made it so many centuries ago, that if we wanted to bond with a human we couldn’t lie to them, it was for the safety of both members, as humans would be scared and creatures could only have one mate”

That did reassure Bon a lot, while he hadn’t thought about Rin lying to him, hearing that Rin actually couldn’t was a bit of an unexpected relief, Yukio continued.

“That doesn’t mean that he cant keep things from you, or that he’s compelled to answer your questions, but it means that when my brother says that he loves you, that he wants you forever and that there will be nothing able to keep you apart, he means it”.

Bon wanted to ask a few more questions, but then Shima had burst through the door, he’d been told to help Bon and Yukio.

Shima didn’t mention anything about yesterday to Bon, except that he talked to him about the ‘absolutely amazing day’ he’d spent with Yukio, apparently Yukio was a brilliant shot with a gun and had offered to help Shima with his aim. He and Yukio started talking about how Shima could improve his aim and then they talked more about each other.

Bon observed this quietly, and he noticed that Yukio had a similar look that Rin usually had around him, except this was directed towards Shima.

Around lunch time Shima left to get some food so that they could stay in the weapons room instead of going out with all the adults, once he left Bon casually asked Yukio if he wanted him to put in a good word with Shima.

Yukio looked a bit embarrassed, after Bon asked why he explained that he hadn’t thought he would find someone to be a potential mate while he was so young. Bon was a little confused when Yukio muttered something that sounded like “of course we’re connected like this too”.

Yukio sighs and asks Bon if Shima was the type to accept his kind of courtship.

Bon admittedly would have thought no, but he knew that Shima wanted to settle down, they were young compared to everyone else but Shima craved attention and affection that he partly denied as a brother amongst nine, if Yukio courted him correctly he could be exactly what Shima wanted.

“Listen Yukio, that talk you just had with me, it better apply to Renzo as well, from what I’ve heard and experienced I would say that yes, your type of courtship would honestly be exactly what he craves, but before you make it official find out if you’re compatible and he’s who you want. He’s my friend and your Rin’s brother, if you can both be happy with this then I’ll help whenever you want”.

Bon had a thought, “Maybe first, before courting him, tell him that your family doesn’t believe in flings or short relationships, every relationship leads to marriage, it would let Shima know that this would be permanent while not giving away your, status”.

Yukio agreed, that did seem like a more sensible choice then just starting to courting, he wasn’t disagreeing with his brother’s methods, it got him his mate after all, but this approach seemed better since he couldn’t enchant Renzo with a dance like Rin had.

After Yukio parted ways with Bon he told him that Rin would come by tomorrow, he was going to take Bon on their first date in the town.

Bon thanked Yukio then headed to his room.

When Bon was alone, he smiled, a day out with Rin, a proper date with Rin that he knew about. This was their first official date as boyfriends, as potential, no, future mates.

When Bon fell asleep that night, he didn’t notice the mark on his nape glow a light blue, like it had the night before, and like it would every night from then onwards.

Bon briefly shimmered in blue flames before they disappeared, nothing would harm him during his sleep.

Rin wouldn’t allow it.


	2. The date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Bon go out on their first date, Rin also springs a question on Bon that makes him a little anxious about the near future. (Nothing bad I promise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who continues to read my work, I want to reassure some people that this fic will have a happy ending, as well as a sequel because I won't fit everything in this one, though we still have many chapters to go.

The next morning was a bit of a blur for Bon, between waking up and Yukio practically pushing him out the door once he was ready for his first official date with Rin. Yukio promised that for the time being no one would know where he was, and both Shima and him would cover for him for the day.

As Bon walked towards the meeting point at the beginning of his family lands, he spotted Shima giving him a thumbs up, before following Yukio. Seemed that Yukio was planning to get to know Shima by taking advantage of their forced company, Bon thought that it was sneaky and something he could see both of the twins doing.

Twins. It was still strange to think that Rin and Yukio were twins. Why did Yukio look more human than Rin?

And speaking of looking human, Rin didn’t exactly pass for human on the best of days, won’t someone spot them and figure out what Rin was?

Those worries were quickly squashed when he approached the gates and spotted Rin, he looked incredible. Rin was dressed up today, wearing a blue shirt with a black leather jacket and black jeans, he looked like a normal, human Japanese boy, instead of a normal, spirit Japanese boy.

Bon flushed a little when he realized that he’d been staring at Rin, then gave himself a metal shake because he was allowed to stare at Rin since they were dating, he noticed Rin giving him a look over as well, though that wasn’t unusually as Rin was usually staring at him.

When he was close enough Rin pulled Bon into a hug and asked permission for a kiss, Bon laughed and said that Rin didn’t need permission, he had it.

After a brief kiss (read as a long one), Rin told Bon that their date would be in town, Bon was a little sceptical, but he was really looking forward to it, this was their first official date as opposed to the unofficial dates they had in the forest.

As they walked through town, Bon following Rin, it occurred to Bon that he didn’t actually know what they were going to be doing, of course when he asked Rin he received a sly smile with a teasing “You’ll know once we get there” comment.

Bon was surprised and excited when they arrived at an arcade, Rin laughed at his expression, “Bon, you realise that my mother is human, and I have family living here right? I’m not clueless”. That caused Bon to blush a bit in embarrassment before being pulled into the building.

The date was more fun than Bon would have thought, he and Rin played each other in games most of the morning, and at lunch Rin bought them some sushi, after he bought some dango that they could snack on while playing some more games. Bon wasn’t good at most of them, but he got better with Rin showing him how to play them.

Of course, later in the afternoon Rin smugly presented Bon with a stuffed rooster. Bon had absolutely no idea where it came form or which game Rin won it from, and it made him laugh so hard he couldn’t breath for a moment, he remembers the comment Rin once made about his hair.

In retaliation Bon searched for a game where he could win something for Rin, remembering his own comment within 15 minutes he was presented Rin with his own stuffed black cat, which Rin lovingly named Kuro after his cat sidhe.

The two spent most of their day at the arcade, but when afternoon came Rin and Bon decided to go on a walk before heading home, this was where Rin had to give Bon some interesting news.

“So, my mother would like to meet you”.

Wasn’t that the words that every couple dreaded.

Bon was particularly nervous about meeting Rin’s mom, mainly because this was the women who loved Satan, lived in the forest with creatures for the past 20 years, and was the mother to his boyfriend/future mate.

If Yukio’s shovel talk was intimidating, he could only imagine what hers would be.

Rin laughed at Bon’s expression, it was funny to think that someone could be scared by his mother, of course this was coming from the perspective of her son, so of course he wouldn’t remember her famous fury when he or Yukio were threatened.

“Relax Bon, she’s tired of hearing me go on about you for hours and wants to meet you personally, she also wants to answer any questions you might have. Oh, and she wants your opinion on Shima as Yukio’s potential mate”. That last part was an afterthought, though he wanted to know about him as well, he was a protective brother, sue him.

That had calmed Bon down a little though, it was silly, but he did forget sometimes that this woman had gone through exactly what he was going through. This woman had been a part of a family that had deep ties to True Cross, and she had fallen for a spirit and was mated to him, maybe she did have some advice on handling them.

And if she wanted information on Shima for Yukio, well he’d give it to her then warn Shima that he better take the relationship seriously. Not that Shima wouldn’t take it seriously, he was a loyal person, but Bon was a little worried that Shima wouldn’t understand what he was getting into and would regret his choices later, he wanted Shima to know everything and then accept Yukio’s courtship.

“Sure, you two can pick the date and all, but promise me that she isn’t going to string me up for not getting her permission to date okay”.

Rin laughed and assured Bon that nothing would happen to him, he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt him ever.

Bon was reassured, and besides, it was only Rin’s mom, it wasn’t like Satan was going to be coming, and this woman had raised Rin and Yukio, so she had to be amazing.

Bon wondered, as Rin walked him home, how much of Rin’s personality came from her, and would he see it in her face, the other part of him wondered if she would like him.

If Rin could have heard that thought, he would had comforted Bon that his mother was enthusiastic about meeting her son’s chosen mate, she’d heard him praise Bon enough over the past year that he’d known him after all.

She couldn’t wait to meet the one who made her baby so happy.


	3. a conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bon and Shima have a conversation about dates and the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while and is short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Bon was unceremoniously woken up the next morning by Shima, once Shima was sure that Bon was fully awake and functioning he bombarded him with questions about his date with the ‘hot mysterious guy who I’ve never seen before’.

Bon is willing enough to describe his date, telling a very enthusiastic Shima that they went to an arcade, ate some very nice food, and that Rin had won him a stuffed rooster because when they first met Rin compared his hair to that of a rooster.

All of this delighted Shima, and when pressed for a name Bon answered with Rin. He didn’t know if Rin or Yukio or their family wanted it getting out that they were twins, so he decided to not mention their shared last name.

Bon instead distracts Shima with what Rin had sprung on him yesterday, “His mom wants to meet me, apparently Rin’s been talking me up and she’s curious about me”.

Shima was of course shocked and confused, “So soon into dating and you’re meeting his mom? He really moves fast then”.

Bon, a little sheepishly, confessed that he and Rin had sort of been dating for half a year, but apparently, he (Bon) hadn’t actually noticed that they were dating, and hadn’t realised that he’d accepted Rin’s confession. So now they were going on ‘official’ dates with Rin teasing him that he’s oblivious.

Bon really didn’t know how to phrase it, but he couldn’t let out that he hadn’t noticed Rin, as a spirit, _courting_ him and now they were courting the human way, on their way to permanent marriage.

Of course, Shima was disgruntled by Bon’s admission that he had been dating someone for half a year and hadn’t said anything, but he was distracted by an offhand comment about Yukio.

Shima didn’t know what to do, “I mean he’s cute _and_ hot, and amazing with everything and _super_ smart. But as soon as he was showing interest he’s also been obviously holding back and it’s kind of sending mixed signals”

Flopping down onto Bon’s bed he sent his friend a very poor attempt at puppy dog eyes, “Bon, would you please find out if he’s interested in guys and single, I might just be reading friendship as something else and I really don’t want to embarrass myself in front of him with something like this”.

Bon laughed a little at Shima’s plea, if only he knew what Yukio really felt, shaking his head a little he sat next to Shima, “Listen, Yukio already asked me if you were single, and if you were interested in him, so his attraction to you isn’t in question here and you’re completely free to flirt”

That caused Shima to perk right up, he had an expression of disbelief though, Yukio had asked Bon if Shima was single and his type?

Bon cut Shima’s next words off, “But he told me something Shima, okay, his family don’t believe in flings or one-time relations, and that’s something he believes in as well, any relationship with him will need the assumption that one day you’re going to marry him”

Bon looked into Shima’s eyes, he really needed to impress this into his head, Shima needed all the information, “Understand? Yukio is interested in you as a potential _husband_ , not as a temporary boyfriend”

Shima looked both extremely flattered and a little nervous, Bon could understand, it was a very strong declaration for a human, that you saw them as a potential forever instead of a temporary now. But Bon had some faith in Shima, he would either accept Yukio’s feelings or reject them, he wouldn't play Yukio along or hurt him, it wasn’t in his personality to hurt him now that he knows.

Shima got up and moved towards the door, “I guess I’ll spend more time with him, he is way more impressive than anyone else I’ve ever dated, and I am aiming for commitment, I’ll just need a little more time to make sure”, Bon called him back for a second before he could leave.

Bon clasped Shima’s shoulder and gave a reassuring smile, “Hey, it isn’t bad or anything, it’s not like Yukio going to demand tomorrow for an answer, or that he’ll expect you to get married immediately, if anything, going off of his brother’s marriage to Fujimoto, the dating period can go for years, you’ll be fine, you have all the time you need”

Shima smiled at his friend, but Bon had one last comment to give.

“And don’t go saying yes to anything until he explicitly asks you what he wants, make him clarify the relationship you’ll have, know what you’re agreeing to okay?”

Shima nodded and left with a laugh, intending to go and spend some time with Yukio. If he wanted more information to make an ‘informed’ decision, then the best way is to spend his time with him instead of in his room or elsewhere thinking about what it could mean.

Bon sighed as Shima left, Yukio didn’t make this easy, he almost wished that they had followed Rin’s route, but he probably wouldn’t wish the confusion on Shima, he needed the stability and commitment that Yukio would offer him.

As for him, Bon turned towards his closet, looking over some of his nicer clothes, he needed to think about what to wear when he met his boyfriend’s mother.

Maybe he should ask Fujimoto for some pointers.


	4. a morning and afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The same morning as the last chapter, Rin is having a conversation with his mom, and later in the afternoon, he runs into someone in town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a google translation for the cafe, Furendorīna mame was supposed to roughly translate to 'friendly beans', but apparently it doesn't anymore. I don't know any generic name for a Japanese cafe but this will have to do okay.

~the same morning as the previous chapter~

The scene could be considered comical, if you consider that the second most powerful spirit (Rin) is bouncing on his bed in excitement, while his mother sits next to him with equal enthusiasm, whilst they were both discussing meeting said spirit’s boyfriend.

Rin had been woken up by his mother and they had spent a good hour brainstorming ideas for where and how they were going to introduce her to Bon, Rin wanted this to go perfect and Yuri wanted to make a good impression on her son’s chosen.

Of course, they were also discussing Rin’s date, after draining Rin of all possible details Yuri had started questioning him about Bon’s reaction to meeting her, was he nervous? Scared? A mis of the two? Rin reassured her that he was mostly relaxed after getting over the initial shock, he commented that Bon seemed a lot more relaxed about meeting her than meeting dad. Yuri could understand that, compared to her mate, meeting the human mother was more relaxing that the spirit king of the forests.

Whist discussing where they could meet Yuri suggests that they go out to eat, food would make them all calm and if conversation turned awkward they could hide behind drinks, Rin laughed at the comment but agreed, Yuri had a second thought.

“I wonder if a café is still open, I remember spending quite a few afternoon’s there to escape my father or annoying True Cross members, it would have been a great spot to meet”.

Rin loved the idea, if his mother had good memories than they would be more comfortable, Yuri also privately thought that if conversation slowed at least they would have some starters.

Rin offered to go looking for the café that afternoon and Yuri gave him the name, “it was called ‘Furendorīna mame’ when I was younger, the name might have changed though, it has been 20 years”.

Rin promised to search for it anyway, if it would make the meeting better than he would do anything.

Before Rin could leave though Yuri dragged him over to her closet, she wanted Rin’s help in picking an outfit because she hadn’t been amongst humans in a town in a long time, she preferred to live with the creatures, and she didn’t want to embarrass them when they go.

As Rin leaves Yuri calls after him that Yukio left him a message, written on paper, and Yuri thought that maybe she should have Mephisto get her son a phone, so that at least he could call Yukio or Bon whenever he needed.

~~that afternoon in town~~

Rin had been looking in town for the café his mom mentioned for all of 10 minutes when he unceremoniously bumped into Shima Renzo, his mates’ best friend.

Shima recognises him instantly, and after a moment of staring the two start to talk.

“So, what you up too huh?” Shima asked, a little tentatively as he didn’t really know much about Rin or if he would even answer the question.

Rin replied easily, “I’m looking for a café called ‘Furendorīna mame’, my mom recommended it as a nice place for her and Bon to be introduced”. His reply shocked Shima a bit, mainly because he hadn’t expected Rin to be so open with talking to him, he wasn’t surprised about the mom thing though, since Bon had told him this morning.

Shima offers to help Rin look, he remembered seeing a café with a similar name around the area, so the two start walking, and talking.

Rin looks over at Shima, he had a question he needed answering, “Dude, are you okay with covering for me and Bon so often for our dates and stuff”.

Shima laughed, “Nah man, I don’t mind, besides, whenever I cover for Bon and you, I get to spend the entire time with the magnificent Okumura Yukio” Shima sighed distractedly, “He single, interested and amazing”.

Rin had a long internal laugh at that, to hear this human practically moon over his brother as if Yukio was the most amazing person in the world, at least Shima will treat him with respect. “Do you want me to put in a good word for you with Yukio, make him see that you’re interested in him?”

Shima looked a little confused, “What do you mean put in a good word for me? Do you two know each other or something?”. Shima was confused, Bon putting a word in for him with Yukio he could understand, since the two knew each other, but Bon’s boyfriend putting a word in for him?

Rin laughed, it seems Bon hadn’t shared his relationship with Yukio to his friend, it didn’t matter he had Yukio’s permission, “Well, Yukio is my younger twin, so yeah, I know him”. Rin continued to walk a little further while Shima stood still in shock.

Shima got over his shock quickly and ran to catch up with Rin, “What do you mean he’s _your_ younger twin? Why haven’t I heard of you before?”. Shima thought that this was a little to strange, Bon having a secret boyfriend, Yukio having a hidden twin, the two being the same. Although it would explain how Bon and Rin met, if it was through Yukio.

Rn explained, “Well, unlike my brother’s or my brother-in-law, I have no interest in controlling the creatures of the forest, I take after my mother, I’m a more, free spirit type”. Rin gave a toothy smile at the last comment.

Shima nodded, he could understand that, he was the youngest son after all, sometimes it was more fun to be free and not be weighed down by duties.

Shima decided to ask Rin about Yukio, he was his brother, so he’d know more than Bon right? “So, is Yukio interested in dating or should I maybe back off? Because I’ve been getting some mixed signals from him, and Bon’s helped a lot but I’m still nervous”.

Shima realised a little late that maybe this wasn’t the best time to ask, after all, Bon’s boyfriend was searching for a place to introduce Bon to his mom, he probably didn’t want to talk about his younger twin’s dating life.

Rin sighed, goddamn it Yukio, why did you have to be confusing to your human. Rin pulled Shima over so they weren’t walking and looked him in the eyes, he didn’t know if Bon had passed it on but he needed this human to understand, “Listen, our family does not believe in flings, one-night anything’s or temporary relationships, my brother is interested in you for a permanent relationship that would lead to marriage. Yes, he is interested in you, but I want you to understand this so that you don’t hurt him, on purpose or accident okay, you understand”

If Shima didn’t see the family resemblance before he did no, Mephisto, Yukio and Rin all had the same glare in their eyes when they were protective, he saw it in Mephisto around his husband, he’s seen it in Yukio lately, and now he was seeing it in Rin; they really were related.

Shima nodded that he understood, but he wanted to ask one last question, “Does that mean that you’re going to marry Bon someday? Because he told me something similar earlier this morning”

Rin replied, “Yes, I’m dating Bon with the intention that we will marry, Bon has already agreed to it”.

Shima nodded, it wasn’t like he was going to disapprove or anything, it was Bon’s life, and honestly, the devotion that these two had, he wanted something like that with Yukio.

Shima spoke suddenly in their silence, “On another note, I believe we found that café you wanted”

Rin looked over to where Shima was looking, across the street was the café his mother had told him about.

Perfect.


	5. Meeting the mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bon meets his future mother-in-law.  
> He also gets some more insight into Rin's protective habits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, but I was hit with inspiration for the third part of this series and I had to iron out some of the details, I was also adding a date chapter to this series, so Rin shall be singing to Bon again in a few chapters.  
> I made this chapter a little more detailed, hopefully my muse will stay with me, but the next chapter will be a little shorter because it's a buildup chapter.

It’s been two days since Shima and Rin had their afternoon search for a cafe together and it was finally time for Bon to meet Rin’s mother. Bon would freely admit that he was beyond nervous at meeting this women, considering that he was practically engaged to her son, but he was also excited for the meeting, after all, she was once in his position, in love with a spirit while having a family who would be against it.

When Bon was getting ready for it Shima had decided to pop in and distract him from any unnecessary anxiety that he might have been feeling. However, all Bon noticed when Shima walked in, was that sticking out of his back pocket, was a blue flower that only grew deep in the forest. He knew this because Rin had regularly gotten him the same flower. It looked like Yukio was officially courting Shima.

Bon smiled through Shima’s jokes, they had made him a little less nervous, and before he left a brilliant thought came to him, so with a smirk he walked out the door with a passing comment to put in a good word for him with the twins mom, leaving Shima behind with a realisation that Rin’s mother was also Yukio’s mother, and that he would one day have to meet her himself.

Bon walks down to the gate where Rin was waiting for him, even though Shima’s jokes had relaxed him some, he was still very nervous about meeting Rin’s mom, he wanted her to like him and he really wanted to make a good impression.

Of course, it wasn’t just ‘meeting the parent’ that he was nervous about, because he knew that once he met Rin’s mom, he would need to meet his dad as well. And Bon was understandably nervous about the inevitability of meeting the rest of Rin’s family, brothers included.

When he was an arm’s length away from Rin, Bon was pulled into a kiss, it was apparently Rin’s favourite was of distracting him from any nerves that he was feeling.

When Bon pulled back, he could see that Rin was practically floating on the spot and shaking with energy, thankfully there wasn’t anyone around because that would have been hard to explain.

Apparently, Rin was more excited for this than he thought, at least his happy expression shows that there weren’t any problems this morning, and that hopefully there won’t be any problems later either.

Bon laughed when Rin practically manhandled him while running towards the café, he was almost surprised that Rin didn’t just throw him over his shoulder or something, Rin was _really_ excited.

When they get to the café, they find Rin’s mom in a secluded corner with not many people around, she stands up to give Rin a hug when he lets go of Bon. And Bon couldn’t help but to compare her to the twins.

Looking at her, it was clear that Yukio was the most similar to her in appearance, in fact, he’d go so far as to say that Yukio was a male version of his mother, Rin on the other hand seemed to take after her stature, they had a similar height though Yukio and Bon were both taller. Bon wondered absently if this meant that Rin took more after Satan in the looks department.

Yuri seems to look over Bon similar to how he was comparing her, but she certainly wasn’t shy in her introduction.

“Hello Ryuji I’m Rin’s mother Yuri, its lovely to finally meet you after hearing my son gush about you for the past year”, she said this all with a cheeky smile and a twinkle in her eye, just like Rin.

Bon laughed, “Nice to meet you too Mrs Okumura- “

Yuri cut him off, “Just call me Yuri, Okumura was the name we chose for the twins, but I prefer to not have a last name”

Bon nodded his understanding and the three of them sat down at the small table, so far, so good.

After ordering a light lunch Yuri starts to question Bon about his life, mainly his schooling, his friends and his family; she wanted to get a wore wider picture of the man her son chose than just the information Rin had told or the information she got from Yukio.

Yuri continued to grill Bon about his life for another 20 minutes, before apologising.

“Its just that Rin’s told me all about you personally, he practically knows everything about your interests and dreams and everything, but he sometimes leaves out other details that don’t apply to you, and I wanted to get to know those details. Though it seems that Rin has indeed told me everything”

Bon laughed at that, he could see it, Rin and his mom talking about him for hours about every little thing, Bon found the notion incredibly flattering. Rin really cared so much about him.

Rin meanwhile was sitting silently and feeling a strange mix of pride and embarrassment, it was his pleasure to tell his mother everything about his mate, and he was proud that both he and her had remembered everything, but he was a little embarrassed that Bon had nothing left to tell her.

But that didn’t matter because his mom was enjoying herself talking to his boyfriend.

Yuri decides that gotten to know Bon enough, so she sends Rin off to get them a drink, of course this drink is sold in the store across the street, but Rin was happy to get it since everyone was enjoying themselves.

With Rin gone that was when Yuri really started questioning Bon.

“Now that it’s just us, tell me, how are you handling your courting?”, Yuri looked him straight in the eyes.

Bon was a little taken back by the question, but he remembered that she had gone through the same thing once, so she might have some advice.

Bon answers honestly, “To be completely honest I’m still a little confused and worried, mainly about our future, I don’t know what type of life we’ll have and I don’t know if I want to tell my family at all about Rin or how’d they react if they did find out”

Bon breathes, Yuri stays silent but attentive; “That doesn’t mean I regret it though”, Bon was very serious that he needed to get that across, “I have no regrets about Rin or our courting, I just have no real knowledge of where we’re supposed to go”

That was the problem, if they were both human it would follow with either telling their parents, getting married and living together in the compound or not telling his parents and running away, either one has a precedent though.

But since Rin was a spirit their options went from either living with humans or living in the forest, and Bon had no idea what that life would be like. And going from there, there would still be the issue of his parents and friends, if they lived human he would be lying to them forever about Rin, and if he lived in the forest he would have to chose between running away and leaving them with no knowledge of what happened to him, or telling them and risk them trying to hurt Rin or something because they fear spirits and creatures.

Yuri nodded in understanding, she had thought this all herself when she was being courted by Satan, of course she didn’t have the life that Bon had, all she had had was her father, and obviously she wanted as far away from him as she could be, she also cared more for creatures than humans. In comparison I guess her choice was easier.

“Ryuji, I was nervous too when I was being courted, and I didn’t have the life that you do, and while you and Rin should talk about this yourselves, Rin does have an understanding of human living, so that won’t be a problem, but maybe you should experience a day of living with him before making a decision”

Yuri gave a laugh, “And there isn’t any rush for you two, my decision was a little hasty because of my impending marriage to Fujimoto, even though we both had no intention of going through with it”

Bon was a little surprised to hear her talk about it, he knew vaguely that the two had once been engaged before Yuri ran off with Satan, he didn’t realise that it had been the push for their bonding.

“Did you enjoy your courtship with Rin’s dad?”, Bon was interested to hear her feelings on it.

Yuri smiled in remembrance, “Yes, it was lovely, he always treated me as if I was the most wonderous person he’d ever met, he bought me his favourite flowers and stones, and we both found delight in each other’s favourite things, he even used to act as my guard, with him around I wasn’t scared of anything”

Bon smiled with her, the stories of Satan really didn’t match with these images of him, but that’s to be expected, you never know someone until you see them with their family.

“Of course, our courtship was interrupted by those meddlers at True cross, they never could mind their own business, as shown once the twins were born especially”

Bon was very confused by that, “What do you mean, did they do something to you?”

Yuri sighed, “One of their members mistook Yukio for a human baby, they stool him from us when the twins were barely a year old, it’s the reason he looks more human than Rin does, spirit children reflect the physical features that they’re exposed to in their vulnerable years, in Yukio’s case he is more human appearing than Rin because unlike Rin he spent some time around humans”

Bon was admittedly very shocked that someone was stupid enough to steal Yukio as a child, though if he thought about it… the blue night was roughly 1 year into Rin and Yukio’s life, was it the cause?

When Bon hesitantly voiced this question Yuri confirmed it, “Though it wasn’t all my mate, the church set on fire was the last location that the human was in before taking to the road again, we’d been searching in a fury and Rin was very anxious to have Yukio returned, it was him who started the fire in anger that Yukio wasn’t there, my mate helped his flames along”.

Bon was startled by the information, members of his family had feared the blue night for so long, they’d thought that it was a sign that the creatures of the forest were angry with them, other families had been suspicious of them since; but that wasn’t true. It wasn’t Satan but a baby Rin who had done it, Rin, in worry for Yukio.

Bon remembered the night that he’d been attacked, Rin had set that creature alight as well. Rin was very protective of those he cared for, willing to destroy for Yukio and kill for him.

As Rin came back and they once again resumed their light-hearted chattering, Bon wondered.

What would Rin do if someone tried to take him away like they did for Yukio?

Bon thought of Yukio and his blossoming relationship with Shima, what would Yukio do if Shima was hurt? Did Yukio even have flames?


	6. Some interesting news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bon gets home after his meeting, and is immediately called to his dad's office.  
> It seems that the plot has finally surfaced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual I'm sorry that this took so long to write, but I have been hit with a lack of a muse lately.  
> Apparently all I needed to do to get my motivation back was listen to the Heathers soundtrack.

It was evening when Bon arrived back home after meeting Yuri. He personally thought that, on the whole, the day and meeting had gone really well. He hadn’t accidentally insulted her, or her family and he managed to make her laugh with some of the jokes his dad liked to tell, so overall it seemed like he made a good first impression.

There was also the added bonus of Rin giving him a lovely deep kiss in his happiness over how the day went as well, so everyone was pleased.

So, Bon was admittedly a little unsteady on his legs as he walked into the house, Rin’s love usually left him a little unsteady in the knees. As he made his way in, he heard his mother call out his name.

“Ryuji. Good your home, your father wants to have a word with you in his office, he says that it’s urgent and that you should see him as soon as you got home”

That scared him a little, but he didn’t think there was really anything to worry about, unless his dad found out that he was dating the son of Satan. Bon gave his mother a nod and a quick hug in greeting, then left to go see his father. He was admittedly curious as to what the ‘urgent’ news or topic was.

Hopefully it wouldn’t be anything too bad.

When Bon made it to his dad’s office, he only had time to give a soft knock before his dad was flinging the door open and pulling him inside with a hug. That was common for his dad, he didn’t like to be too serious, especially with his family. But he was lacking some enthusiasm today, must be that ‘urgent’ news.

When Bon sits down at his dad’s gesturing, he finally notices that his dad seemed, _tired_. That was really unusual for him, his dad was always full of energy, and even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have these bags under his eyes.

Bon was a little surprised that he hadn’t noticed before, how long had this been going on? Had he been so distracted by Rin that he missed his father’s exhaustion?

He sat quiet as he waited for his dad to speak, it seemed like he almost didn’t want to speak about whatever topic it was.

Tatsuma sighed as he sat down next to his son, this was going to be awkward.

“Son, do you remember the Suzuki family?”

Bon was a little confused by the question, but he nodded in affirmation, “Yes, they’re the family that’s the most knowledgeable on classifying creatures and responsible for keeping knowledge on their lifestyles, why?”

Tatsuma sighed again, “The family have sent both an informal note and a formal request to arrange a marriage between you and their head family’s eldest daughter, they’ve been pushing it for the past week”.

Bon was startled, honestly, he had no idea how to react to this, other than the thought that Rin would very pissed once he found out.

Tatsuma continued, noting that his son seemed very opposed just from that part, “The family have sent about 3 different marriage contracts and have asked which one we would be willing to sign, each one offers great protection and access to resources that we don’t have at the moment, however, everything offered is something that we can get through other families or traders”

Tatsuma looks his son in the eye, “I would like you to either tell me now, or to read the contracts and tell me after; it is entirely your choice, do you want to consider this?”

Bon was frozen as his father spoke, this sounded like some cheap plot twist in one of Rin’s manga’s. When Bon heard his father’s question, he was very quick to answer.

“NO! No dad I have no interest in marrying this girl”. He was almost panicked with his answer, but how else could he phrase it? His father wouldn’t force the issue, and he was already with Rin, he wasn’t about to give Rin up for some girl.

Tatsuma nodded, “I thought you would say that. Frankly, I was insulted that they would try and arrange a marriage like this, I’ve been very vocal over the years that I dislike arranged marriages for family gain”.

Bon nodded, yep his dad did not like arranged marriages, mainly because his dad loved his mother with everything he had, and also because his best friend is Fujimoto, and his arranged marriage was a disaster.

Even more of a disaster since Bon actually knew the reasons behind it, and the real reason why it didn’t happen.

Tatsuma got his son’s attention, “Now, I won’t force this at all, I will tell them that the marriage won’t be happening, but I’m telling you this in case they try to approach you outside the compound or try and force the issue. Normally I wouldn’t see them as a problem, but when a family sends over contracts like this, I worry about why they would do so and how far they might go to get what they want”.

Bon didn’t know what to say in this situation, however, since he’d met Rin’s mother, and Shima knew that Yukio was his twin, he’d been given the go ahead to tell his own parents about Rin and Yukio’s relationship, as well as his own, when he was ready.

“Dad, the main reason I’m against this, aside from the fact I don’t know her, is because I’m kind of already dating a boy”. That was said a little sheepishly, his dad wasn’t homophobic or anything, but the relationship had been going on for a while, his dad might get a little carried away.

Tatsuma certainly looked very surprised, but that quickly changed to a very happy and ecstatic expression. Before Bon’s eyes it was like his dad had gotten a new burst of energy.

“Really!? Your dating someone now? Who is it? Is it someone we know? Is he your age? Is he older? Is he from True Cross? How long have you been dating?”

Tatsuma had so many questions to ask and he wanted answers immediately, his only son was in a relationship! This meant celebration! A party! Anything!

Bon laughed at his dad’s questions, he knew his parents had no problem with sexuality, but he didn’t realise that his dad would be this excited about him having a lover.

Though he should have guessed based of his personality every day, he was an exuberant man who adored a love story.

Bon smiled and started answering the questions, “Well, his name is Okumura Rin, he’s Yukio’s older twin, and we’ve sort of been dating for over half a year now”

Tatsuma visibly startles at the time that the two have been together, his son has had a boyfriend for so long and he didn’t notice?

Bon continued, “And uh, this morning we went into town and we had lunch with his mom”

Tatsuma laughs at that, that was the most terrifying part of any young relationship. “Yep, meeting the parents is always a frightening fact of relationships, but it does get easier the longer the relationship goes on, as long as one of the parents like you and you haven’t insulted someone’s grandparent or pet you can’t really go wrong”.

Bon could definitely agree with that, but in his case it was more that as long as he wasn’t the one who kidnapped Yukio and he didn’t hurt any creatures he was all set, especially considering that Rin had talked him up to his family beforehand.

Tatsuma was really glad that his son had someone in his life, and he was especially happy that this boy had caused his son to smile so much.

He wasn’t too fussed that the relationship had gone on for so long without his knowledge, Bon was a serious man and he probably wanted to make sure the relationship was going somewhere before introducing him. And Yukio was a very smart and stable young man, his older twin may be different in personality but if those two were raised the same then at least he knows for certain that this Rin will have manners and a stable upbringing, meaning that he won’t be the type to try and play with his son for fun.

Actually, thinking about this boy, perhaps he should meet him. Afterall, Bon had met his mother that morning, why couldn’t he meet his son’s boyfriend.

“So, when exactly can your mother and I expect to meet this boy then? I want to meet the young man who can put such a smile on my only sons face and make him happy”

Bon flushed a little at the implications of his father’s words, but he was glad that his dad wasn’t angry or anything like that, not that he would be since it wasn’t in his nature to be angry at these things.

“Well, I’d have to check with him since he works with his dad and mum a lot, but he might be free next week, I’ll ask”.

Tatsuma smiled, it wasn’t unusual for children of their families to follow with their parents work, if this Rin was working with his parents while his brother’s were with True Cross then perhaps he wasn’t going into the ‘creatures’ line of work.

He gave his son one last hug before sending him off with some more teasing about his boyfriend. He sighed; his little boy was all grown up now. He’d completed his education, he was working for his family house, and now he had a boyfriend that he was serious about. He smiled as he threw the marriage contracts in the bin, there would certainly be none of that in his household.

Before Bon made it to his room he bumped into Yukio, he seemed a little startled but happy to see him. Bon decided to give him a heads up that his parents wanted to meet Rin, and that they knew they were twins.

Yukio was a little shocked that Bon’s parents wanted to meet Rin so soon, but he let out a small laugh, he hoped that Rin was ready to be on the other end of the shovel talk.

Before they parted Yukio handed Bon a piece of paper, he explained that while he and Rin had been having lunch with their mother, he had gotten Rin a phone so that they could text and call each other if anything went wrong or they wanted to meet up.

Bon thanked him before heading off to bed. As soon as he was in his room, he put the number in his phone and texted Rin, after he got confirmation back that it was Rin he smiled.

**[B] Just a heads up, my dad wants to meet you.**

**[R] Wait you told your dad. YAY!**

**[R] It’ll have to be in a week though,**

**[R] We’ve been having some issues with missing creatures**

**[R] My dad wants my help**

**[B] No problem, I told him it wouldn’t be until after next week anyway.**

**[B] Do you need help or anything?**

**[R] Nope, I got it covered.**

**[R] But you should get some sleep,**

**[R] I have a feeling that Shima is going to grill you tomorrow.**

**[B] Yep, especially since he realised that she was Yukio’s mother as well.**

**[R] You evil minx.**

**[B] You must be rubbing off on me huh?**

**[R] Maybe**

**[B] Message me tomorrow?**

**[R] Course love** **😊**

**[R] Sweet dreams**

Bon put his phone down and sighed, he’d tell Rin about that marriage contract tomorrow.

It’s not like anything will come from it.


	7. A talk about marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Konekomura finds out about Rin, he and Shima find out about the marriage issue  
> And Bon has his first taste of Rin's protective side, and he enjoys it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be a small mini-break in the series, a date chapter that will go over a few questions that Bon has for Rin about their courting.

When Bon wakes up the next morning, it’s due to a strong vibration coming from his phone, he opens it with bleary eyes and winces at the harsh light.

**[R] Hello love!**

**[R] I’ve checked with my dad and everything should be wrapped up by the end of the week.**

**[R] So pick a date next week and I’ll meet your parents!**

Bon smiled at that, of course Rin would be more excited than scared about this.

**[R] Also what kind of flowers do your parents like; I need to pick out a decent gift?**

A gift? Was he going to try and bribe his parents into liking him?

Well, it couldn’t hurt, and there could be worse ideas.

Smiling at the text Bon quickly sent off a reply, it was nice to see Rin being this invested in getting his parents to like him, not that it wasn’t reasonable, he was part demon and his parents were in contact with True Cross.

**[B] Mum likes Plum Blossom’s this time of year**

**[B] Dad likes food though, so something like that will impress him**

**[R] Thanks love!**

**[R] I’ll see you then!**

Bon turns off his phone and decides to join Shima and Konekomura for breakfast. Once Bon settles himself down next to the two of them, he comments that they and his parents will be officially meeting his boyfriend in a week.

Konekomura spat out his drink in shock.

“S-since when did you have a boyfriend?!”. He had no idea that Bon had a boyfriend, he had no idea Bon was even looking for someone.

Shima on the other hand was ecstatic, he reached over and gave Bon a hard slap on the back in congratulations, “So, now that you’ve survived his mother, he’s got to survive yours huh? Tough for him” he teased with a grin, nothing like meeting the parents to instil a sense of dread for the victim and humour for his friends.

Leaning over Shima grabbed Bons jumper, “Now, tell me everything about his mom! Did she like you? Did she mind that you’re a guy? Would she like me?!”

Konekomura is taken aback by the attitude of his friends, just what had he missed?

“How long has this been going on Bon? And what does Shima mean about liking him? Why would Bon’s boyfriend’s mom need to like you?”

Bon shrugged sheepishly, “Well, me and Rin had known each other for a while, we met by accident and I just never said anything cause usually we all know everyone so I don’t normally need to introduce you”

Konekomura nodded, that seemed reasonable.

Bon continued, “And we’ve been dating for a few days now, though Rin’s been flirting with me since day one, but I didn’t notice” He flushed at that, he had honestly missed a demon courting him, honestly.

Konekomura smiled a little, it was nice to see Bon happy, “It is reasonable to forget since we usually do know everyone, but who is Rin then?”

Shima decided to answer this one, “He’s Okumura Yukio’s older twin, he’s just not that involved with the public side of creatures and demons and stuff”

It shocked Konekomura to think that Yukio had an older brother, he hadn’t let anything slip about his family since they first met, everything was just avoided.

Before anymore questions could be asked, Bons dad joined them in the room, seeing Bon he made his way over with a tired smile.

“Hey Bon, good morning Konekomura, good morning Shima”

The three boys wished the man good morning, and Bon pulled him down before he could leave, “Rin’s free next week for a meeting, his dad needs his help for this week, but he’ll be able to come sometime next week”

Bons dad smiled, “Great! I’m looking forward to meeting this boy, I’ll have to see if I can get anything from Fujimoto about him, make sure he’s good for my boy”

Bon laughed, Fujimoto might have a soft spot for his old friend, but when it came to family, he was sealed tighter than a drum.

Bon’s dad walked away with some passing words, “And don’t worry about last night Bon, I’ve got it all taken care of”

Bon nodded, good. Now he could tell Rin, and nothing would go wrong. Spirits could be so protective, and he’d rather not put anything on Rin’s plate, not when he was about to meet his parents.

Konekomura was confused by the last statement, “What did your dad mean by last night, is everything okay?”

Bon sighed, “Dad told me last night that we’d been getting a few marriage propositions in from the Suzuki, they’ve been insistent and dad was worried they would try and force a marriage, but he assured me he wouldn’t accept”

Konekomura gulped, he’d heard about what some families did when insistent on a contract, “How serious were they, are they going to cause trouble? What if they try and do something?”

Shima rolled his eyes and gripped Konekomura’s shoulder, “It doesn’t matter what they do we aren’t going to accept just because things may get ‘difficult’, and honestly what idiots, who sends a marriage contract to your dad, it’s well known how he feels about them”

Bon nodded, yep. His dad hadn’t made it a secret about his feelings on marriage contracts. Nothing more than forced prostitution for limited, temporary familial gain that results in nothing but heartache and unhappiness. Of course, that was taken from Fujimoto’s speech about why he didn’t want to marry Yuri. But the others didn’t need to know that.

Bon got up to leave, before he did Shima called back to him that he needed to tell Rin, Bon gave him a nod. And he could safely tell him with no problems because there wouldn’t be any issue.

~later that night~

**[B] Hey, how was your day?**

**[R] it was great! We found most of the creatures that went missing!**

**[R] Just a few more and then we need to fix their territory but then we’re all good!**

**[R] How was yours?**

**[R] Did Shima grill you?**

Bon smiled at his boyfriend’s answers. So energetic and full of life, that was Rin.

**[B] It went good, Konekomura knows about you now, so that’s all my friends covered**

**[B] And dad’s excited to meet you**

**[R] That’s great!**

Bon bit his lip, he wasn’t worried, just a little nervous about how to express what had happened.

**[B] Though something happened last night**

**[R] Really? What?**

**[B] dad got a marriage contract for me from another family**

**[B] He didn’t accept and he wouldn’t ever do that!**

**[B] He just wanted to warn me in case they decide to be annoying and not let it go**

**…**

Bon was admittedly a little nervous about the silence from Rin, for all he knew it could be that his mom or family came in, or he could be planning murder.

**[R] I’ll make a few back-up plans in case this family does get insistent**

**[B] it isn’t really anything to worry about**

**[R] Don’t worry I won’t be too drastic, there’s a precedent for arranged marriage in our culture**

**[B] Yeah, eloping, and faking death**

**[R] Never failed before**

**[R] But I was thinking that she or he dies, and we marry on a full moon with no complications.**

**…**

**[R] Seriously though, Bon, I refuse to lose you like my father nearly lost my mother**

**[R] Like my brother nearly lost his mate.**

**[R] if murder is what it takes, I will kill every member of that family.**

Bon exhaled, while he wasn’t shocked that Rin would be willing to go so far, it was still a rush to see the proof in front of his eyes.

**[B] It’s okay, I have my friends here, my parents and your brother aren’t far either**

**[B] nothing will happen**

**[R] Nothing will happen, because I won’t let it happen**

**[R] I’ll steal you away in the night if I have too**

**[B] stealing me away in the night needs a full 24 hours’ notice and an alibi with Shima before you attempt it**

**…**

Bon contemplated before sending one last message before his goodnights.

**[B] and if you wanted to take me away I wouldn’t need stealing**

**[B] I'd be willing**

**Author's Note:**

> The plan for the last story was about 1000 words and one A4 page, this plan is over 4000 words and is 7 pages long, hopefully gives you more detail.


End file.
